Evaluation of a social interaction coaching program in an integrated day-care setting

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Educational Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Enhancing social interaction skills in young children is crucial for their development.
• Day-care settings present opportunities for targeted interventions to improve social skills.
• Effective in-service training for day-care staff is essential for disseminating evidence-based practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a structured coaching procedure on day-care teachers' behaviors.
• To assess both direct and indirect effects of coaching on adult-child interactions.
• To examine the influence of coaching on the social interactions of young children, including those who are socially withdrawn.

Main Methods:

• A multiple baseline design across three day-care teachers was employed.
• A structured coaching procedure was implemented before daily caregiver routines.
• Teacher behaviors and child interactions were observed during group activities with 2- and 4-year-old children.

Main Results:

• Structured coaching led to significant increases in teachers' delivery of behavioral support for social interaction.
• Collateral improvements were observed in the positive interactions of socially withdrawn children.
• Long-term maintenance of effects was evident in both teachers and children, with positive social validity ratings from teachers.

Conclusions:

• Structured coaching is an effective strategy for improving teaching behaviors related to social interaction in day-care settings.
• Coaching can serve as a valuable setting event, influencing teacher practices and child outcomes.
• This approach holds promise for the dissemination of effective teaching technologies for promoting social interaction in early childhood education.